Robbie "Clem" Holmes

Robbie Clementine Sammons Holmes (Clem), 81, passed away surrounded by family, July 24, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Clem was born February 11, 1943 in Ysleta, Texas to parents Thomas William Sammons and Effie Geneva Martin Sammons (Dautie). She resided in Tarkington Prairie for the past 21 years and previously lived in Huntsville, Alabama.

 Clem was a devout Christian woman known for her unwavering faith and deep love of scripture. She loved to listen to the Word on KHCB while getting ready for work and even wrote the entire Bible in her retirement years. Her love for the Lord was also evident in her faithful attendance at the Assembly of God church and singing along to her favorite Christian tunes in the car. She was quick to forgive and encouraged others to follow in her footsteps. Clem raised her children and grandchildren to be strong believers and her greatest gift of all was pointing her children to Christ Jesus.

 Clem had a diverse career providing administrative support for various companies. She began her career at NASA Johnson Space Flight Center in a secretarial role, eventually moving into the role of a computer analyst, retiring in Huntsville, AL at Marshall Space Flight Center, Redstone Arsenal. She was honored with the prestigious Silver Snoopy Award, a recognition bestowed upon select NASA employees, given by astronauts, for exceptional service to space missions. Her career was marked by dedication and brilliance in her field.

 Clem's interests were diverse; she enjoyed playing tennis, particularly midnight matches, and had a passion for watercolor painting, crafts, and calligraphy. Known for her sharp wit and intellect, she engaged her mind with crossword puzzles, scrabble, and trivia games like Jeopardy. She had a spirited side too, known for her fast-driving habits and her zest for life.

 Clem will be deeply missed by her friends and family, including her former husband and father of her children, John Kenneth Holmes; her children, Laurie Leonard and husband Bobby, Shelley Paris and husband Keith, and John Holmes II and wife Sarah; grandchildren Candi, Robert and wife Nicole, Seth and wife Katelyn, Evan, Abby, Paul, James, and John III; great-grandchildren Westin, Mac, Addi, and Christian; brother Pat Sammons and wife Vicki; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Clem is preceded in death by her parents and siblings Elizabeth McClendon, Bill Sammons, and Mike Sammons. A graveside service was held to honor Clem's life on Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at Greenwood Cemetery in Teague, Texas.

 Clem leaves behind a legacy of faith, creativity, and dedication to her family and community. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all who knew her.

 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to Foundation of Praise (foundationofpraise.org) or Prison Fellowship (prisonfellowship.org)

Her children's thoughts:

John: Mom was always up for a game of late-night tennis. We knew trying to play in the heat of the day was just a certain kind of torture. I remember one night, a couple of guys my age were already at the courts. I asked if they’d be interested in a game of doubles and they said sure. For whatever reason, we were both really on our games that night. Mom aced each of the other guys more than once. To this day, I wish I had a picture of their faces as this mother of 3 managed to completely obliterate them in a serve.A few nights after we moved to Huntsville, AL, we were traveling down a very fittingly named road named Slaughter Rd. It was around 9pm and Mom had her foot in it. Before we knew it, we were airborne over a railroad crossing. Apparently there was a sign to slow down, but Mom didn’t see it in time. We both hit our heads on the roof of the Monte Carlo and came down pretty hard, laughing ourselves silly.Several times, we’d decided to get up late at night to do something adventurous/off the wall. Mom was just like that - always up for anything.After I came back to Alabama from the military, having been married for a while, Mom came to visit us. At the time, I had a blue Triumph touring motorcycle. I didn’t expect Mom to accept, but she got on the back with me and I went all around the house with her. We both had an absolute blast. 

Laurie: NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A PRAYING MAMA... When I was having a difficult time with Mom & Dad’s separation in my early teens….I threw all my anger and blame on Mama & her newfound relationship with God. We moved in with our grandmother - I affectionately named Dautie (Mom’s mom). Mom determined right there and then to surrender her all to her Lord and to guide us all as He guided her. Every morning, she and Dautie would rise at 4:30am and have Bible reading with KHCB radio…loud enough for us kids to hear it loud and clear. Then around 6am, she’d come pray over me and kiss me to wake me. I would be wiping her kisses off and turning my back to her. She never responded in anger…just kept loving me. Every evening at bedtime after dinner & tidying up, we would all gather around Dautie’s bed and kneel and pray together. Then we’d go to Mama’s bed and pile up on it and have our Bible reading.She’d have me and Shelley take turns reading with her as John was still so small. We could stop and ask her what it means to which she would explain or would simply say, I’m not sure. She’d add…we don’t always have to understand everything…that God just wanted us to read it and He would reveal it in His time or we’d understand more fully when we get to heaven. Mom would take us to church…Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday evenings. I remember telling her I didn’t want to go…and she said as long as I lived with her, I would obey her rules. So, as I trudged through this time of bitterness, anger & rebellion - all aimed at her…on our 20 minute ride from our home in Pasadena to La Porte Assembly of God Church…she’d have us kids sing old gospel song together. I would not join in & she would gently, lovingly, yet firmly say, “Sing with me Laurie; Sing with me” with me gritting my teeth singing along in harmony - all the while learning the old songs she knew she was planting deep in my heart. One Wednesday night (about 3 years into this rebellious phase of mine), I decided I would go to church with her…just not to my class. I decided to sit in the back row of the church (not realizing our Pastor and his precious wife had been praying for me continually)... I remember Pastor Fleck saying that there was someone here who the Holy Spirit wanted to minister to. At that moment, I felt as if I’d been punched in the stomach & the Lord was telling me your rebellious ways have come to an end. It’s time to surrender your ways for His ways. Our pastor came back to my pew and asked if I’d like to receive the Holy Spirit - His free gift to all. I then surrendered my life and received the gift of my new heavenly language and the power to overcome all unforgiveness and sin that I had allowed in. I became aware of all the pain that I had caused Mama & cried on her shoulder all the way home…drenching her sweater with my tears and asking her forgiveness. Little did I know that the same songs she had me sing would be my gift back to her in her final days!!! Even in dementia, she could sing all the old songs together, quote scriptures we’d read, pray over us and thank the Lord for each breath she’d get after her coughing spells all through the night. What a privilege and a blessing we had in the beautiful, God-fearing Mama!!!

Shelley:A Tribute to Mom by Shelley ParisProv. 20:7 The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.Deut. 11:18-21 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth. My mom lived out these scriptures and not only have I been blessed but so has my family. In her darkest times she drew on the scriptures and songs she had read and memorized over the years. God was truly her rock and salvation. Thank you mom for taking us to church, reading the word and praying with us and over us, singing with us and playing with us. My mom was always giving sacrificially and had a grateful heart even at the end. I frequently heard her say, “Thank you Lord” after a coughing spell ended and she continued to pray for us even as she herself was suffering. Some of my favorite memories:– playing lots of games of Yahtzee, Scrabble, Boggle– mom’s surprise visit to Baylor to hear my concert– mom taking off a whole summer with us and we swam frequently at the pool at Strawberry Park– mom helping me with school assignments like the acrostic poem we made– pizza nights at Pizza Hut after church on Sunday nights – mom would read books I was reading so we could discuss and then she would read every book that author write if she loved the author– singing our favorite songs together – including Friends are Friends forever– she came to help with all five of my births– taking each of my kids to Tadpoles when they were 3 to 4 years old– summer vacations to visit mom in Huntsville AL.

Clem's grandkids thoughts...

Candi... When I was little, I couldn’t say “grandma,” so Gaw was what came out instead. I could spend time telling lots of memories and stories involving Gaw, but she was a “cut to the chase” kinda woman, so that’s how I will write this. Gaw always made it clear that no matter what, she prayed for us daily and continually. A long time ago, she surrendered her life to the Lord and prayed until my mom followed suit. I am so thankful that she did, as we were raised in church and taught about Jesus. Our relationship with Him was always the most important thing to her and making sure that we had a solid foundation in Him. Toward the end of her life, Gaw developed dementia. Even when she wasn’t sure of many things, she remembered this always: God is good, He is faithful, He is our Healer and our Helper, we are blessed and we should always give thanks. In her weakest moments, we could hear her praying and thanking our Heavenly Father for His blessings. She told me a few months back that she doesn’t usually pray specific things for me because she doesn’t always know what His plans are, but that she prays for Gods direction and wisdom for my life. I am so very thankful that she did. She always said that it was important to laugh, be joyful and be thankful. She genuinely had a peace that passed all understanding. Rare are the people who show us how to love the Lord with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength. Gaw was one of those people. I pray that anyone who reads this will have the blessing and honor of having someone in their life to set that example for them. I'm thankful that she is spending eternity with the love of her life, Jesus Christ. 

Westin/Mac/Addi:  “When we think of Gaw, we remember her kissing us on our cheeks, and we think of her rocking in the rocking chair on the left of MawMaw and PawPaw’s porch. We also are so glad that she came to our baseball and softball games.”

Nicole:  “I have sweet memories of Gaw and I chatting on the front porches of wherever we were. She always asked me about my life, how work was going, and how life as a mother was. I also have sweet memories of her speaking very highly of my husband (her grandson, Robert), and how great of a father and husband he is. Gaw inspired me to start water color painting, and I will think of her during these times.”

Robert: “I always found Clementine (I called her “Gaw”) to be an interesting person. She had a quick wit with a knack for word games and as an opponent, always proved to be a force with which to be reckoned. I would tease her about her short bouncy stride and vast well of odd facts. To me, she was a very unique person with many layers but was absolutely transparent with her faith. What I remember most about Gaw was her tone when she prayed. Her voice audibly changed and was full of genuine adoration and reverence. Throughout her struggle with dementia, I found it so powerful that although she would not remember her closest family members at times, she never forgot that God was her rock and Christ her Savior. In the midst of great turmoil, she would lock hands with whomever was close and rely on prayer; a practice that has left an impact on many others, including me.”